Whale Show Is Off Maternity Leave As Baby Shamu Gets Feel Of Things

October 27, 1985|By Betty Beehive

Back to normal. Killer whale shows have resumed at Sea World following a short hiatus during which 1-month-old Baby Shamu adjusted to her new environment. The infant, who weighed 350 pounds at birth and has gained 200 pounds since, remains in the show pool of Shamu Stadium while all the leaping, swimming and swirling of the performing whales and trainers goes on around her. ''Like any baby, she's learning through imitation,'' David G. Butcher, Sea World director of animal behavior, said. ''She is mimicking the behaviors she sees her mother demonstrate -- swimming on her back, breaching and lifting herself . . . for a look at the world around her.''

The whale shows are performed around noon and 5 p.m. daily. Sea World hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Admission is $14.95 for teen-agers and adults, $11.95 for children ages 3-11 and adults over 55.

Mickey goes Moroccan. Epcot Center will feature Morocco during its November WorldFest celebration. Performing groups from Morocco will present the native music and dance of that country several times each day in and around the Moroccan Showcase, and Mickey Mouse will be on hand in his Moroccan costume. A selection of Moroccan foods will be available.

Also at Epcot, the new Nine Dragons Chinese Restaurant has opened, and the Skyleidoscope air-sea shows at the World Showcase lagoon will continue each Saturday and Sunday during November.

Epcot hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Admission is $19.50 for adults, $16.50 for children 3-12. Now through Dec. 15, Florida residents age 55 and older are admitted for $15. During all of November, armed forces and civil service employees will also be admitted for $15.

Have reservations, will travel. Campers and RV enthusiasts can now make reservations at campgrounds nationwide using a campground directory and a toll-free phone reservation line. The Wheelers RV Resort & Campground Guide is available for $9.95 plus $1.50 for shipping. It can be ordered from Wheelers Guides, 1310 Jarvis Ave., Elk Grove, Ill. 60007, or by calling (800) 323-8899. Here comes the mouse? Betty's big ears recently heard a rumor that Mickey and Minnie Mouse will be wed, after all these years, in an enormous Disney publicity stunt. (What else could rival the arrival of Baby Shamu?) But a Disney spokesman said there's ''not a grain of truth to that.

''We hear so many rumors,'' the spokesman said, ''about Donald and Daisy and the nephews. . . . It's a regular garden party. But I would unequivocally deny that one.''